General News

Make it in Washington is all about helping manufacturers expand market share, improve supply chain and educate the workforce. One great opportunity to keep your business in growth mode is to explore government contracting opportunities. On March 10th in Puyallup, the Alliance NW conference will be held, bringing together small businesses, government agencies and prime contractors for a full day of relationship building. Registration is $85 per person until January 31st and increases to $115 per person on February 1st. To register or get more information on becoming an exhibitor, click here.

Emily D. Harman, Director, Office of Small Business Programs, Department of the Navy

The keynote luncheon speaker will be Emily D. Harman, who is the Director, Office of Small Business Programs for the Department of the Navy. Ms. Harman serves as chief advisor to the Secretary and is responsible for small business acquisition policy and strategic initiatives.

The event attracts over 800 attendees and 125 exhibitors. If you are new to government contracting, this is the place to meet government agency representatives, explore subcontracting opportunities with prime contractors and attend high-quality training workshops. If you are already an experienced government contractor, this conference is an opportunity to strengthen relationships, explore other government contracting opportunities, and hear the marketplace’s latest news and trends from expert workshop speakers.

According to a survey by The Manufacturing Institute, the annual Manufacturing Day celebration taking place at companies across the United States is starting to have a positive impact in raising the profile of manufacturing as a career. After this year’s event, 93% of educators were more convinced that manufacturing provides interesting and rewarding careers.

Select Washington state manufacturers that are growing, innovating, and becoming more productive will be recognized at the 2016 Washington Manufacturing Awards dinner in April 2016 and featured in the May 2016 edition of Seattle Business magazine.

President Obama could have a bill to sign in as little as a few weeks that would authorize billions of dollars of funding to build and repair the nation’s aging transportation infrastructure. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAMA), the largest manufacturing association in the U.S., has shown its support for a bipartisan proposal and increased spending for infrastructure projects. According to NAMA’s Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Policy, Robyn Boerstling, “The goal is not just to achieve a multi-year bill but a well-funded transportation bill. We are in an infrastructure deficit in this country, and if we continue to go at it with status quo funding levels, or just slight adjustment for inflation, we’re not going to begin to solve any of the challenges.”

The Washington State Department of Commerce is offering vouchers of up to $5,000 to help offset small businesses’ costs of building sales in foreign markets. Vouchers can be used to offset expenses such as trade show fees, registration and airfare, interpreter and translation fees, international certifications and more. Over 450 Washington small businesses have benefited from the program in the past.

Are you eligible? You must comply with all of the following criteria to receive an export voucher:

Be registered to do business in Washington state for at least one year

Come learn about how, at no cost to you, the Make it in Washington Team can help your company increase profits, attract investment, skill up its workforce, strengthen supply chains, better compete for work going overseas, and more.

The new Composite Recycling Technology Center, located in Port Angeles, will create hundreds of local jobs around conversion of carbon fiber composite scrap material from manufacturing into new products.

Researchers at Washington State University have found ways to stretch metal connections to twice their size, creating new opportunities for development of stretchable electronics such as flexible batteries and wearable devices.